The halfling Ranger

I don't understand how even in the 3.5 player's handbook they say that Halfling Rangers are uncommon if not utterly useless. I think that Halfling rangers are pretty awesome nonetheless. Halflings even have all the racial traits required to be Sneaky and Rangerly.

+2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump, and Move Silently checks.

+1 bonus to all saving throws

+2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear( for mythical beasts it might come in handy )

+1 on thrown weapons and slings

+2 on Listen checks

And they speak the languages of everyone around them.
Halflings are natural nomads, why not have them be Lone Wolves too

The only downside is that They can't wield many of the more powerful Ranged weapons.

I think that the class is a good choice for the two weapon ranger not archery. just because that a shortbow sucks.

I agree with your statement about the ranged weapons, however, Halflings get a +1 bonus on all attacks made with thrown weapons and slings, so a Halfling Ranger with a sling and three throwing knives would still be and adequate addition to any party.

Add to that the fact that they get so many bonuses to stealthiness, seeing and hearing, and agility that they would be practically essential when traveling through the forest and sensing danger.

With the sling's 50 ft range and the range of the throwing knives. They would be more than capable to respond to any threat.

... And you could use the benefits from the archery specialization

Or you could use the two weapon fighting specialization to get bonuses to the knives.
You would still get bonuses at higher levels for having magical weapons, such as magical slings and enchanted lead bullets.

Some of the magical enchantments would be seeking lead bullets as well as ranged. And other enhancements to make the lead bullets do more damage.

Very good point. It would still be better to use the improved precises shot feat.

I don't understand your view of short bows as being weak and useless weapons, even though Halflings are small characters and they suffer a penalty on how much damage they can deal with weapons, the 1d4 damage of a Composite Shortbow wielded by a small character are still better than the 1d3 damage of a sling under the same circumstances.

Give or take the bonuses incurred for being a Halfling.

Chew on that one. Mindflayer.

Point taken.

Being a halfling rogue would be smarter because it is the favored class of halflings'.

However, both classes should be equally treated as part of Halflings favored classes because many of the skills of one carry over int the other. There are also many of the benefits that I have listed in greater depth under "3.5e" and then "the Halfling Ranger". See there for more details. As it stands I think that it would be good to have half Ranger, half Rogue so as to have the benefits of both.

In the book, "the races of wild" a book that describes halfings in detail. They tell you what they think about each class.

Rogue: Rogue is the favored class for halflings because it
plays to the race’s strengths in almost all ways. Small, quick,
and quiet, halflings are adept at sneaking into places secured
against entry and at appropriating goods covertly. Their racial
skill bonuses all play directly to the rogue’s best skills, and
their racial bonus to Dexterity gives them a benefit on numerous
other rogue skills as well as to Armor Class. In addition,
halflings have no trouble infiltrating other societies because
their travels make them ubiquitous.
For alternative options for the halfling rogue, see the
halfling racial substitution levels on page 159.

Ranger: Halfling rangers face the same limitations and
opportunities as halfling barbarians, fighters, and paladins,
and the same feat and skill choices are useful. Halfling
rangers excel at hiding, thanks to their small size and high
Dexterity. The ranger’s archery combat style is an excellent
choice for a halfling, but two-weapon fighting isn’t a bad
choice either, especially if the character has the Weapon
Finesse feat and fights with two light weapons.

After reading this what do you think?